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Jet 2 flight from Lanzarote declares emergency over UK as pilot 'incapacitated'

Reach Daily Express | February 4, 2026 6:40 PM CST

A Jet2 flight was forced to declare an emergency while flying over the UK on Tuesday, a flight tracker shows. Flight LS980 was travelling to Lanzarote to Manchester on Tuesday when it transmitted a Squawk 7700 roughly 25 minues before its scheduled arrival.

The international code denotes a general emergency, alerting all nearby radar systems and ensuring the flight receives maximum attention. In this instance, it informed Air Traffic Control (ATC) that one of the pilots was unable to continue their duties due to a sudden medical issue, AirLive reports.

The Airbus A321 was given priority handling and landed safely at Manchester Airport at 8.14pm. It was then parked on a stand and the pilot was reportedly seen by medical professionals.

A Jet2 spokesperson said: "Flight LS980 from Lanzarote to Manchester requested a priority landing yesterday evening, due to one of the pilots feeling unwell. The aircraft landed safely and customers disembarked as normal."

This comes after the package holiday airline made a major change to its routes ahead of peak summer holiday season. Jet2 is expanding its flight offerings in July, August and September following high demands from passengers.

It will now offer even more flights to Greece from Birmingham Airport this summer, with extra seats to Crete and Santorini between July and September.

Jet2 said it will give Brits "even more choice and flexibility" when heading to the holiday hotspots.

CEO Steve Heapy said: "Greece is an enormously popular destination, and it continues to appeal to customers and independent travel agents looking to enjoy some much-needed sunshine.

"As the UK's favourite airline and tour operator, we know just how much holidaymakers love these Greek destinations, and we are delighted to be once again stepping in to meet demand.

"We have an unrivalled programme on sale to Greece for Summer 26 from Birmingham Airport and are now expanding that to give customers and independent travel agents even more choice and flexibility with the addition of extra flights to Crete (Chania) and Santorini."